Solar System

Objectives

• Students will use the Internet to do research and inquiry on our solar system.
• Students will research facts about a specific planet in the solar system.
• Students will write a travel brochure for their planet, using specific facts that they found in their research.

Description

The site is provided through the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) of the University of Michigan. It contains interactive games and detailed scientific information about our solar system's planets.

Suggested Activities

• Have students connect to http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/kids_space/kids_space.html. Students can explore the Student Projects section of the site to see projects by other students, or they can go to the Fun & Games page. Have students click on Space Sense on the Fun & Games page and play the game, starting at the easy level. If they complete it, challenge them to see up to what level they can complete successfully.

Level Activities

• Have students go to http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov and click on the planet icon, which should read Space and Beyond once it is selected. Then have students select Solar System from the menu. Then have students:
click on Space Kids: Solar System Tour in the lower right of the menu to learn more about the nine planets. In a small group, have students use themselves as planets to model the solar system. A chair or a tree outside can represent the sun.
learn more about the Sun by clicking on The Sun and exploring the different pieces of information. Students can click on Sundials to learn how to create and use their own sundial.
explore different areas of this Web site and find a research topic they want to learn more about. After compiling information, have students create models and give oral reports on one aspect of the solar system. (Beyond)